As agreed, Eske arrived at Alice''s lab first thing in the morning. It was Vihaan who greeted him and explained the procedure and how the trial would unravel. Eske didn’t pay much attention as he stepped inside the room, he was blasted by noise, whispers, shouts, crying and songs. Their song. He saw her when his eyes locked over the tank containing the vortex of black particles. As if an echo of her was trapped inside the glass container. A woman, Nona, stared back at him, her face contorted, glitching between pain, smiling, crying, stoic or surprised, lips moving to some unknown song or chant which echoed through the room like thunderclaps on high mountainsides.


    ''It is incredible, isn''t it? That shit still haunts me.''; interrupted Vihaan. ''It is swirling by itself. The container is a complete vacuum. That shit is moving by itself like a tornado. By itself!''


    ''What?'' said Eske, surprised, staring at the maelstrom of sound and light. He hardly gave his attention back to Vihaan. Who, with a boyish grin which seemed almost obscenely pleased under these circumstances, invited him to sit: ''It moves alone?''


    ''Yup, like a badass rock star. I still can''t understand it. Boss, you have the biggest and greatest balls to put such a thing into your system. I mean, who knows what this is.''


    ''I don''t know either,'' admitted Eske. ''But I need to know.''; he whispered almost in silence.


    ''Ready? I need some blood samples for control, and then in two weeks, we see the effect it has on your DNA and if you didn''t grow an extra nose.''


    ''That sounds good,'' agreed Eske. ‘Always wanted an extra.’


    ''Sit there. I''m just gonna pick up a blood lancet in the storage room, be right back.''


    Vihaan left quickly, leaving Eske to contemplate his situation and all that he could see around. Shadows of Nona running around the room, the number nine blasting clear and loud, and Eske couldn''t stop feeling as if he was finally back home. One of the spectres sat next to him, smiling and making small talk about a movie they had planned to watch years ago. He couldn''t recall which one or if they did.


    ''You''re okay?''


    ''What?''


    ''You were staring at that stool and smiling. Sort of creepy if you ask me.''; said Vihaan preparing the needle. ''If something is wrong, just say so. We can stop at any moment, Boss.''


    ''No… no problem here. Just thinking of old times.''


    ''Yeah, well, let''s get this done already, then.''


    At home later that day with a small bottle containing 15 pills. Transparent little capsules with swirling black particle dust. He took his jacket and vest off, dropping them on the couch. Eske filled a glass of water and swallowed one pill, just as the doctor ordered. And nothing.


    No number nine, no shadows playing around like in the lab. He took a slice of cheese from the fridge, which tasted just like cheese. Nothing changed. Except that he felt strange. Strange in a way, that he could feel something happening but didn''t happen. Eske felt terribly disappointed.


    He walked into his bedroom and sat down on the bed. Pulling out a cigarette pack and lighting up. Smoking slowly. ''This is so fucking disappointing.''; he thought. ‘I’m such an ass! What a fucking fool!’


    Then looking outside the window towards the street where people are walking by, talking loudly. A dog barked once. More people are laughing, talking and joking around. Normal people and then nothing.


    An abrupt silence fell into the air. His apartment was covered in muted sound as dust laid over the furniture surface. A cringing cold goosebumps on his skin were followed by the exhale of black particles between his dry lips. And finally, the sticky taste of wet paper mache in Eske''s mouth. Not even the cigarette tasted as it should. Time was taking its form.


    Eske heard someone coming. Footsteps on hardwood floors. Someone came closer to him. A warm melody of his favourite number. It worked. Alice was right. It fucking worked!


    ''Good morning, love of my life.''; her soothing voice echoed in his ear.


    The apparition of Nona stood next to him, smiling gently like she used to. Her long messy hair shone behind her ear. She wore a white shirt made of cotton and nothing else, just as if she had just woken up.


    ''Did you sleep well?''; she asked, yawning, but didn''t wait for any answer. ''I''m going to make some breakfast. Toast? Pancake? Oh, wait, I think we are out of milk.''


    Eske followed Nona''s image to the kitchen. He leans against the counter, baffled, just looking at her and smoking. He held himself to not even thinking of touching her. The real Nona would be so mad at him to be smoking inside the house.


    He didn''t mind that she wouldn''t acknowledge him. He was just happy. Eske could see her again. ''I missed you, Nona. I fucking missed you.''; and chuckled seeing her preparing breakfast as it used to be.


    Nona turned around, holding a bowl half empty of fruit. ''We are out of oranges too, baby.''This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ‘I get them later, love.’; he replied while killing the cigarette bud on the ashtray and looked at Nona''s shadow, slowly crumbling back into black particles that blasted into Eske''s mouth.


    He felt an electric tension swiping from his shoulder to the top of his fingers back and forth and could not contain the spasm of his body falling onto the floor.


    A hand touched his cheek, turning him to look at her, Nona. She smiled kindly but sad, brushing away the strands of hair stuck to his forehead. ''Why did you do this, baby?''


    ''Because I wanted to see you.''


    ''You shouldn''t do this. You shouldn’t.''


    ''I know. But something is better than nothing.''; Eske said with a faint smile before losing conscience.


    <hr>


    Eske woke up, and he was no longer on the kitchen floor. It smelled like hot sulfur. The ground was cracked yellow sand, and breathing burned his throat. He tried to stand but fell back with pain in his chest and tottered forward again when he saw that there were people around him. But ignoring him. the sounds of a chaotic market cramped with people and creatures. Humanoid frogs, cats and rabbits were acting as if it is normal.


    ''What the fuck?'' Eske said aloud, coughing blood into the dust as an old man pushed past him without looking at him or saying anything.


    He stood up and looked for something familiar, some landmark to helm himself.


    Nothing seemed quite right, almost as entering a dream, or rather a nightmare. Eske started to walk, observing his surrounding, seeing what he could make out of this place. Almost everyone wore white stained clothing from head to toe, covering most of their bodies. But the huge frog people were the ones that really unsettled Eske. With their big round heads, large bulging eyes set deep within dark hollows above flat snouts.


    As he walked along the streets, he was bumped by a young woman. She was dragging a huge fishnet containing soup cans, and with the other hand, she held a cat. When she turned to excuse herself, Eske could understand that the pet was no longer alive for a while.


    The woman was perhaps 18, maybe 20 years old. She had grey hair and huge black eyes. She looked just like her, Nona. A much younger version of Nona.


    ''Wait!''; he called.


    ''Yes?''


    ''Your name is Nona, right?''


    ''No.''


    ''No?''


    ''I have no name.''; and she proceeded to drag her huge fishnet bag along the corridor of the marketplace. Eske followed her, still not convinced she was indeed not Nona.


    ''So what do they call you?''


    ''Who?''


    ''People.''


    ''Nobody calls me.'' Then added: ''Why are you following me?''


    But Eske did not let go of the subject. ''People do name you something, no? Or you don''t talk to anyone at all in the whole universe.''


    ''I don''t have a name. I am a number.''; she stopped before a door and knocked. A woman with a child in her arms opened, and the girl gave her a can. The woman said nothing. She just accepted the gift and closed the door on their nose.


    ‘Everything is a number, right?’


    ''What are you doing?''


    ''Sir, you make a lot of questions.''; she stopped at the next door, and the same thing happened. Someone opened, the girl gave a soup can, and they closed with no word.


    ''They could say thank you.''; complained Eske.


    ''Why?''


    ''To show gratitude.''


    ''Why?''


    ''Is a nice thing to say. You don''t think so?''


    ''You''re weird.''; and went ahead with another knock. This one was answered by a man who stared at her suspiciously.


    ''Thank you,'' said Nona, giving him a can. The man immediately closed the door. She turned to Eske and, disappointed, said: ''You see, they didn''t like it! You give bad advice!''


    She began knocking on every house until she had an empty fishnet. She did try to say thank you a couple of times but with no positive results. Eske didn''t have the heart to explain they were the ones supposed to thank her, not her.


    ''Time to go home, kitty.''; she looked to Eske and said: ''You should go home too. I need to get ready for work shortly.''


    ''Wasn''t this work?''


    ''No, this was just giving time to people.''


    ''What about you?''


    ''I''m not hungry. I''m fine. I’ll have coffee later.''; the girl said as if she wanted to be sure he understood. ''Don''t worry. I''ll take care of myself.''; then added: ''See you next time!'' And disappeared inside her tiny house that was, in reality, a minuscule space under a stair of cement hidden by cardboard. How could a fully grown-up woman fit there?


    Eske remained standing near the fake doorway where she entered, watching the street and wondering how bad time tasted in this place.


    Eske woke up on the floor next to a puddle of vomit.